Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘American Sniper’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​Every generation has its stories from wars long gone. We know what happened at the beaches of Normandy. We understand the nightmare that was Vietnam simply because of the fact that film helps to make sure these stories are told.

Yet, all of us have been witness to one of the bloodiest and longest conflicts this country has ever known, and well, it's one that at this moment is still close to home, making it quite the touchy subject. And because of that, only a handful of stories from this conflict are being told on the silver screen and one of those rare tales, American Sniper, quite frankly, took me by surprise when it first arrived in theaters because of what it chose to focus upon when it comes to the spoils of war.

Now this film takes us through the life and times of Chris Kyle, a man credited as being the most lethal sniper in American Military History and he just so happened to earn that title by way of his four tours of duty in Iraq during some of the bloodiest conflicts that took place there. That's quite frankly all that I am going to say about the plot because what it portrays when it comes to Chris and his life and his experiences in the war are what matter more. But, before we get into that, one cannot talk about this film without mentioning the fact that it generated quite the controversy upon its release since so many believed this movie had a political agenda behind it.

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However, I simply don't subscribe to that idea, and I honestly feel any ‘controversy’ generated came about from the fact that this conflict is and will forever be divisive amongst Americans and that all draws attention away from what matters most in this story; the fact that this motion picture flat out shows us the horrors of war, in a no holds barred fashion. The action is intense, and there is a clear air of danger that hangs over every single moment we join Chris in the middle of the War Zone. In fact, the tension is so strong at times, I found myself holding my breath, waiting for the moment to pass, and I most certainly heard others doing this in the theater as well when I first saw it. You're truly on the front lines here, buried in this nightmare with Chris and his fellow soldiers. 

But in between those gut-wrenching scenes, you're also witness to Chris' decline in mental health as the war begins to take its toll on him and that that's perhaps the part of the film that speaks the most about the impact of the war. The fact that good men and women signed up to fight for a cause that completely and utterly broke them. It's fascinating and heartbreaking all at once, but all of these pieces make for an incredible and visceral motion picture that in all honesty, does not leave you feeling great after it has come to an end, but it does remind you harshly of the fact that well... war is a terrible thing. 

This is definitely one to see, simply because there are not enough stories out there about this conflict, and because of the fact it's an incredible story revolving around what war does to a man inside and out. And really, it is that frank portrayal of war and its impact on the human mind and psyche that took me by surprise because you just so rarely see that in films such as this. We tend to glorify this stuff on the silver screen and that honesty removes any political agenda or propaganda, it instead just presents us with a slice of an American life, and an earnest look at the bloody battle that our nation has taken part in, one that has managed to touch all of us and our families in some form or fashion.

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